Brief Synopsis
Tosca tells the story of the love between the famous opera singer Floria Tosca and the painter and political activist Mario Cavaradossi. Cavaradossi sends the political escapee and former Roman Consul-General, Cesare Angelotti, to hide down the well in his garden. The evil Baron Scarpia is determined to have Tosca for himself, and invites her to supper in order to discover the whereabouts of Angelotti. He orders the torture of Cavaradossi in her earshot. Unable to bear his screams of pain, Tosca willingly gives up the information – but not before she has persuaded Scarpia to allow her and her lover to escape from Rome. He insists that to satisfy the authorities, Cavaradossi must undergo a mock execution, and arranges this with one of his henchmen, Spoletta. He then provides Tosca with a note of safe-conduct for her and her lover. As Scarpia attempts to ravish Tosca, she stabs him. Before his body is discovered, she rushes to the prison in the Castel Sant'Angelo to tell Cavaradossi that he has to face the firing squad, that the muskets will contain blanks, and he will have to act his death. But Scarpia has tricked Tosca - the bullets are real! As Cavaradossi lies dead and Scarpia's henchmen approach, Tosca is left with no alternative and takes her own life.
Reviews
The Spectator
Dorset Delight: An annual event I am ashamed not to have caught until now
Dorset Opera dates back to 1974, but I have only just been for the first time. The quality of what I saw and heard was such that I'm annoyed with myself, ashamed even, for not having been?before. The Coade Theatre, in which the performances take place, is a delight. It seats 600, the orchestra seemed comfortably disposed and the acoustics are excellent. ?
I went on the last day, when, heroically, Tosca was given at 2.30 p.m. and Otello at 7.30 p.m. Josephine Barstow, a seasoned Tosca herself, directed the first of these, and did what all directors used to do, until they began to think theirs was the most important input: she made the action lucid at every point, got the singers to react to one another plausibly, and made good use of the smallish stage and few props. I haven't seen many Toscas that were so convincing and absorbing.
The title role was taken by Lee Bisset...with a strong, steady voice, plenty of temperament, but also a sly sense of humour in the few places that permit it, she will surely soon be in the world's leading opera houses. So, undoubtedly, will Adriano Graziani, her Cavaradossi. He flooded the theatre with golden tone, and made one regret that his part is, really, so small. The ghastly Scarpia was delivered with aristocratic relish and silky disdain by Phillip Rhodes, completing a stylish trio.
The orchestral playing neglected none of Puccini's imaginative orchestration, and the conductor Phillip Thomas paced the opera so that everyone had time to make their points, but he didn't loiter. Apart from the thrills of the performance, what was amazing was that in ten days such an expertly polished and smoothly running show, in every respect, had been accomplished...It was a wonderful day and, given the time frame, might well be called miraculous Michael Tanner
What'sonstage.com
Tosca
Date Reviewed: 30 July 2011
WOS Rating: 4 stars
Dorset Opera at The Coade Theatre, Blandford Forum
Seeing Dorset Opera at the end of their two week Summer residency at Bryanston's Coade Theatre was a revelation, both in terms of the extremely high quality of production and in what can?be achieved with an astonishing 10 day rehearsal period. One would expect to have to make concessions for these conditions but none were necessary, especially for soprano Josephine Barstow's directing debut with a flawless Tosca. ??
The theme that connects Tosca and Otello is, of course, jealousy and the company drew some strong parallels between the two works. Scarpia brings attention to the connection himself by likening the Attavanti fan to Othello's handkerchief, and Iain McGregor's attractive, adaptable set, shared between the two productions, had Scarpia's study dominated by a huge painting of Othello with Desdemona. ?
Barstow's superbly controlled and detailed production was hugely impressive from every angle. Lee Bisset... was a pert and beautifully focused heroine, and Adriano Graziani, a ringing and triumphant Cavaradossi. Swarthy Phillip Rhodes was a bit on the young side for Scarpia but is sure to mature into the role and become a formidable interpreter. Altogether these were performances that, even allowing for the small auditorium and good acoustic, wouldn't be out of place at Covent Garden.
Traditionally staged, Dame Josephine's production was full of insight and clarity, with strong casting throughout. Phillip Thomas's conducting thrilled from beginning to end. The large amateur chorus, expertly drilled by Nicolas Mansfield, shone in both productions. ?
Roderick Kennedy, Artistic Director of Dorset Opera since 2004, is attracting names and producing work here that puts better-publicised companies to shame. You have to be quick to catch ?them, as their summer season is here and gone in a flash, but for anyone travelling from further afield, the journey to rural Dorset is enormously rewarding. Simon Thomas
Opera Magazine
Dorset Opera 2011
Not having been to Bryanston for Dorset Opera before, I was naturally first struck by the beauty of the place, the immense grounds, the imposing...buildings, and then, when it came to it, the two performances which I saw in the same day. Given that everyone connected with the enterprise only arrives ten days before the first night, the achievement is hardly credible. Going on the last day, I saw, I guess, the more polished of the two Toscas.
Anyway, Tosca went like a bomb. The three principals were all completely into, or/and on top of their parts, and the tenor in particular, born in Wales but called Adriano Graziani, sang with that kind of rapturous abandon that reminds you why, for all the things that one curses tenors for, they are still, at their best, an irreplaceable source of musical nourishment. Graziani must be about to hit the big time. So, I'd have thought, must be Lee Bissett, Longborough's superb, uninhibited Sieglinde last year, and so much more thrilling than many singers we regularly encounter in London. Phillip Rhodes, the Scarpia, was less sensational but still very fine, an insinuator and a classy near-rapist, with voice to match.
Dame Josephine Barstow directed, very straightforwardly, helpfully, and with a minimum number of props. She had Tosca stab herself at the end – fast forward to the end of Butterfly for non-Puccinians – but otherwise was effective in getting the performers to react to one another. Phillip Thomas was the excellent conductor... Michael Tanner
Blackmore Vale Magazine
Tosca, Dorset Opera Festival at Bryanston
There is a strong connection in the dark heat of the two operas in this first Dorset Opera Festival - Scarpia, the immoral villain of Puccini's Tosca actually refers to Iago as he plots the seduction of the heroine and the death of her lover.
Tosca... marked the directing debut for Dame Josephine Barstow... Her production at Bryanston moved the audience away from the familiar Zeffirelli -Callas-Gobbi vision of the opera, something that seemed to disconcert some members of the audience expecting the usual candles by the corpse and leap over the battlements.
Dropping the melodramatic clichés, Dame Josephine brought out the powerful conflicts of love, jealousy and deep religious faith in the heroine - Tosca stabs herself with the same knife she used to kill Scarpia, which in her confusion and guilt she has brought with her, wrapped in her stole.
Lee Bissett's Floria Tosca was a more complex character than the passionate Maria Callas, and her relationship with the cold ravisher Scarpia (the charismatic Phillip Rhodes) was one of dread. Her confusion after his death added a profound and human dimension to what has become a melodramatic and dated reading.
Adriano Garziani's Cavaradossi gained in passion and stature from the awkwardly directed opening scene in which Recondita Armonia was declaimed to the audience rather than incorporated in the story.
Did he know that Scarpia had tricked Tosca into believing he would be freed? In this production, yes, he did. The orchestra, conducted by Phillip Thomas, filled the Coade Theatre with the thrilling score in a performance that would not have been out of place at the Royal Opera House.
The extraordinary thing about Dorset Opera is that once the casting is done, the chorus, made up of local singers and vocal students from a wide area of the UK and mainland Europe, come together to rehearse the productions in a couple of weeks. Choristers attend an intensive summer camp at the school near Blandford, and only meet the soloists and orchestra days before the opening, subjecting them to professional opera house discipline and pressure. And this year, for the first time, they were learning two operas - all the choruses for Tosca and Otello - under the direction of chorus master Nicolas Mansfield, who takes over as artistic director of the Nationale Reisopera in the Netherlands in January 2013. GP-W
Opera Now
The Dorset Festival Experience 2011 - Tosca
...this was for me and my friends, the operatic discovery of the year. Having seen an advert for Dorset Opera earlier in the year, I set off with friends with perhaps somewhat muted enthusiasm – a little-known festival in the depths of the West Country was an unknown quantity.
The first opera we saw was Puccini's Tosca, which took off as soon as the brilliant Phillip Thomas raised his baton, and the best orchestra I have heard in a very long time started to play. It was magical.
Dame Josephine Barstow, who has sung the role of Tosca so many times around the world, turned her talents to directing for the first time, presenting us with a traditional production where the acting was deeply felt and convincing. Lee Bisset... was magnificent. One of our party, an avid opera-goer, thought she was the best Tosca she had ever seen. Tenor Adriano Graziani sang his heart out as a mellifluous Cavaradossi, and the young New Zealand baritone Phillip Rhodes was a strong Scarpia.
The young voices in the chorus of both operas were a treat. What an opportunity for young singers to have a concentrated two weeks of training under chorus master Nicolas Mansfield.
The Dorset Opera Festival gave us an experience that has changed our view of the UK's unsung opera companies. |
Tosca (Lee Bissett)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
Cavaradossi (Adriano Graziani)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
Scarpia (Phillip Rhodes)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
The Sacristan (Hugh Hetherington)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
Scarpia (Phillip Rhodes)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
Scarpia (Phillip Rhodes) and Tosca (Lee Bissett)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
Scarpia (Phillip Rhodes) and Tosca (Lee Bissett)
Dorset Opera Festival 2011
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